


WHAT I KNOW 



...about... 



HOUSEKEEPING, 



.•.and a Tew... 

Other CWngs. 

ADRIAN, MICHIGAN. 
1898. 



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WHAT I KNOW 



...ABOUT,.. 



HOUSEKEEPING, 



/^ 



AND A FEW 



OTHER THINGS, 



...BY... 



AMELIA C. CLAY, 



ADRIAN, MICHIGAN, 
1898. 



5Uiia 



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Copyrighted and Published, 1898, 

By the Author. 

In the interest of the 

Women's Guild of Christ Church, 

Adrian, Mich. 



In its preparation many thanks are due to the women of the Guild and 
other friends, who provided recipes, patiently listened to its reading, and 
furnished suggestions. 

Many of the ideas in the article on ''Serving" were gathered from the 
Boston Cooking School Magazine, than which there is no better authority, 
and used by permission of the Editoi*, Mrs. Janet McKenzie Hill. 




Ttrt^O COPIES B£Ct.,tu. 



To housekeepers who do their own work, and to 
those who keep but one domestic, this little book is 
dedicated, in all love and sympathy, 

A, d, Li, 



:X CONTENTS, ^ 

Introduction. 

Method for the Week. 

Cooking-. 

Recipes. 

Serving-. 

Washing- and Ironing-. 

Dish Washing-. 

Bed Making-. 

Hardwood Floors and Sweeping-. 

Lamps, Kerosene, Gasoline and Gas. 

Moths and Carpet Bug-s. 

Sanitation. 

Social Duties. 

Tired Mothers. 

The Children. 



; for nothing lovelier can be found 

In woman, than to study household good, 
And good works In her husband to promote." 

— ^[^ltl^)^\s I'(tr(((lisr Lost. 



^^^*A^^A^^ 



:X INTRODUCTION. :^i 

IpOOD housekeeping- is comparatively a modern art. 
^^ It is a mark of civilization. From the long- houses 
/u of the Iroquois and the community structures of 
' the Pueblos to our present methods of living-, is 
a mighty stride, and still the human race is march- 
ing on. Domestic science is being- taught in our 
colleg-es and a knowledg-e of cooking- and bed making- 
can be g-ained in many of our public schools. Edu- 
cators everywhere are awakening" to the necessity of 
a practical schooling- to accompany the theoretical. 
Chicag-o has just appropriated twenty-five thousand 
dollars ('98) for the teaching- of common household 
arts in her public schools, and President Snyder of the 
Ag-ricultural Colleg-e of Michig-an said at the meeting- 
of the National Educational Society in Washington, 
(summer of '98:) "Our present courses of study are 



INTKODUCTION. 



arrang-ed for the ten per cent, who expect to take 
hisfher education. Would it not be better to reverse 
this order and arrang-e our courses of study to satisfy 
the ninety per cent, who will not be able to enter the 
secondary schools nor the universit}'?" 

It would seem that nothing- could be more sensible 
than to use common tax money for the benefit of the 
majority, securing- the g-reatest practical g-ood for the 
g-reatest possible number. Those who teach the 
foreig-n languages or drawing- or modeling- in clay or 
follow the profession of music are the minority-, but 
all, to accomplish anything- in a life-time must eat 
and drink, and what we eat and drink and how pre- 
pared is of more general consequence. 

It has been said, "the kitchen is the work shop of 
the house," but is it not rather the work shop of the 
world, since all the muscle and bone and sinew and 
blood that control every activity of the human race 
depend for health and strength upon what is prepared 
within its precinct? 

No young- lady can be considered accomplished until 
she has acquired the practical knowledg-e of every 
household duty. She may not be oblig-ed to sweep 
and cook and wash and iron continuously through 
life, but she will make the better homekeeper, the 
better hostess, the better all 'round woman for having- 
learned them, and the chances are in favor of the 
majority of the g-irls and many of the boys in our 
public schools using this knowledge in detail, either 
for their own comfort or for the comfort of others, 



INTRODUCTION. 



almost dail}^ in the course of a life-time. To hasten 
the day of practical thing-s for the common people, 
who really compose the foundation of a nation's 
greatness, and incidental!}' to assist in a modest way 
the homekeeper, this little work is issued by one who 
has kept house over one and a half score years and 
has tried to practice what she preaches; not, however, 
without man}', many failures, but always with their 
rich, compensating- experiences. Let no housekeeper 
be discourag"ed who reads it. Nothing- can exist with- 
out rules, and existence would be miserable indeed if 
there were no exceptions to rules. Because "cleanli- 
ness is next to godliness" no housekeeper is expected 
to follow the members of a household around con- 
tinually with a mop in one hand, a broom in the other 
and a duster hanging to her girdle. No rule or set 
of rules can go beyond the impregnable barriers which 
untoward circumstances often erect, or rise above the 
higher law of common sense in housekeeping, but all 
educational methods require one to learn the rules 
first and the exceptions later on. 



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METHOD FOR THE WEEK. 



jSC METHOD FOR THE WEEK. 

Order is the law of the universe. From the largest 
heavenly body in its orbit. to the tiniest atom, each 
obeys the law, and man or woman cannot improve on 
the methods of the Creator. 

Order should be the law of the household, not like 
that of the Medes and Persians that never varied, but 
g-eneral law moving- things along- its course like a 
river, which, though at times swells and overflows, or 
shrinks to a thread-like form in drought, still it con- 
tinues on its way, moving everything in its correct 
channel, which may be either broad or narrow as 
circumstances permit. Certain days should be set 
aside for certain kinds of work. 

Monday is proverbially the washing day, Tuesday 
ironing day, Wednesday should be devoted to the 
family baking and the cleaning of the kitchen. A 
long handled duster should be used on that dust 
catcher the kitchen stovepipe, as well as on every 
projecting ledge and often on the walls, then the 
kitchen floor should be swept and scrubbed. A scrub 
brush and cloth in hand is preferable to a mop, but if 
a mop is used the base board will need cleaning with 
new suds and cloth after the floor has been washed. 

Thursday should be sweeping and dusting day 
throughout the house; very often this will be finished 
in the forenoon, leaving the afternoon for the family 
mending or any other purpose. 

Friday may be cleaning day outside of the kitchen. 
Washing hardwood floors and windows and closet 



COOKING. 9 

floors and stoops and cleaning- silver come under this 
head. 

Saturday must be baking- day again and washing 
kitchen floor for Sunday. Ev'erything that can be 
done on Saturday for the next day should be done, 
like shelling- peas, etc. 

Man}^ deserts, especially in summer, are fine made 
the daj^ before and placed in a cool cellar or on the ice. 



A^^A^^>^^^^^^ 



X COOKING. JSC 

It has been jokingly said that "the way to a man's 
heart is throug-h his stomach," and it has been inti- 
mated also, that after the Easter bonnet season is 
passed and the ice cream season is here, that the same 
avenue will lead to a woman's heart. Only the other 
day I heard an amiable young- woman remark that the 
meanest thing a man ever did is to go into an ice 
cream parlor and sit and eat alone, so possibly there is 
more reality about this matter than food for joking. 

Christ fed the multitude repeatedly, which proves 
that this method of reaching the human heart was 
thoroughly understood by the Master; and eating- and 
drinking- one with another has been considered from 
time immemorial an indication of existing- bonds of 
affection between the parties. There are many excel- 
lent g-uides to cooking- to be procured now-a-days. 
There are Mrs. Rorer's, and the "White House." and 
all the old standard cook books, and "Table Talk," 



10 COOKING. 

and the Boston Cooking- School Mag-azine, and last 
but by no means least comes Miss Colling-'s "Popular 
Dishes," which is full of valuable recipes from cover 
to cover. 

It is not my purpose to emulate any of these, but to 
say a few thing-s that are, possibly, not told in cook 
books. 

Perhaps your family likes corn beef, always save 
the water in which it was boiled. Pick out 3^our own 
piece of beef for corning while it is fresh and g-et your 
meat man to put it into the brine, leaving- it one day 
for every pound or thereabout; when broug-ht home 
and washed put it in a kettle and cover it with cold 
water and bring- to a boil, then pour the water off for 
boiling- the veg-etables in, cover the corn beef with 
hot water and cook moderately until thoroughly done. 
Whatever of the meat is left from dinner place in this 
liquid and set in a cool place over night. In the 
morning, remove the fat and the meat and use the 
liquid from time to time as you would use soup stock, 
only you will have to use a larger quantity. One way 
to prepare it is to boil it with a little bag of spices, 
place a couple slices of lemon in each individual soup 
dish, mash them slightly with a wooden masher and 
strain the hot liquid over them. No other soup has 
the peculiar flavor of this. The liquid also makes a 
fine soup mixed wuth canned tomatoes. An ingenious 
cook can find many ways of using it; flavored with 
onions and other vegetables and little bits of left over 
gravies it becomes quite recherche. 

No bones from meat should ever be thrown away, 
but all washed and placed in a small, heavy canvas 
bag, laid on a stone and broken into pieces with 
hatchet or hammer, then removed to a kettle and 
boiled half an hour and strained for. the foundation of 
soups. Often nothing need be added but flavoring, 



RECIPES. 11 

as it will be rich enoug-h from the marrow and juices 
of the bones. 

Cream soups can be made in short order in summer 
which does away with hours of fire-keeping- and the 
consequent calling- in of the flies. Save all fats, even 
from smoked meats. When a quantity has accumu- 
lated place it in a kettle with one-half its bulk in 
water and add a tablespoonful powdered borax for 
every three pounds fat or thereabout; boil ten or fifteen 
minutes, watch it at first that it does not boil over, 
set it away in a cold place and when hardened run a 
knife around the edg-e of the fat and turn the cake 
upside down on a smooth surface, scrape off the black 
for soap g-rease and the remainder will be fit for any 
use. If you want it still whiter repeat the process. 
The water remaining- in it should be boiled away 
before using-. 



A^^A^^^^^^A^^ 



a: recipes. -X 



'*'V*'V 



'White Bread.— (Two Loaves.) 

Boil two midling- sized potatoes in water enoug"h to 
cover them; when done remove from kettle and mash 
throug-h a sieve. Add to these a level teaspoon ful 
salt, a tablespoon sug-ar and three tablespoons sifted 
flour. Pour boiling- hot over these 1>^ cups of the 
water in which the potatoes were boiled and mix 
thoroughly. When lukewarm add a half cup of water 
in which a yeast cake has been soaked and crushed. 



12 RECIPES. 

Whip all thoroughly and place it in a temperature of 
75 deg-rees. All this can be done at noon. Just before 
bed-time add \}4 cups water and flour to make a mid- 
ling- stiff batter and set over nig^ht in a warm place. 
In the morning- add a piece of butter the size of an 
egg and mould with flour, not too stiff. Let it rise to 
double its orig"inal size then mould into loaves and let 
rise ag-ain and bake 30 or 40 minutes. 

The secret of lig-lit bread is to keep it in a warm, 
even temperature. If bread becomes chilled in any 
stag-e of its making- it is ruined. In winter the flour 
to be used, especially in the morning-, should be kept 
in a warm place over nig-ht. To have g-ood bread in 
winter make a constant summer temperature for it 
every minute until it reaches the oven. There is no 
care too g-reat, no material too g-bod for bread. 



Steam Corn Bread. 

1^ cups flour, l}^ cups corn meal, 1}^ cups milk 
(slightly sour), ^ cup molasses, 1 teaspoon soda. 
Steam three hours. Sweet milk or even water can be 
used instead of sour milk if necessary. Baking- powder 
tins will make pretty shaped loaves and fit nicely into 
the steamer. Do not fill them but a little over half 
full. Never jar the steamer nor remove cover while 
steaming- anything*. 



Breakfast I^oaf.— (Mrs. Ketchum's.) 

[With Huckleberries.] 

1 tablespoon butter, 1 pint flour, 1 cup molasses not 
quite full, 1 teaspoon soda, pinch salt. Mix with cold 
water to thickness of cake batter and stir in 1 pint of 
huckleberries. Bake in gem tins or a loaf. 



RKCIPES. 13 

j^unday Morning: Mackerel. 

Put to soak skin side up in plenty of water Satur- 
day noon. Before bed-time turn this water off and 
put on fresh. In the morning- put it, if possible, in a 
round bottom kettle, cover with plenty of cold water 
and boil ten minutes. Drain off the water, slide the 
mackerel on to a hot platter, scrape off and remove all 
black skin and turn the platter on a slant and pour 
plenty of hot water over it from the tea kettle to re- 
move any remaining- pieces of skin, drain water from 
the platter and wipe with a clean cloth the platter 
around the fish until it is dry and clean. 

While the fish is coming- to a boil, mix two table- 
spoons butter with one level tablespoon flour and melt 
in frying- pan, pour boiling- water over this, stiring- 
all the while until it reaches the thickness of drawn 
butter. Pour this hot over the fish, set in the oven 
two or three minutes and serve. If the fish is small 
do not soak it so long-. 

Breakfast Disk.— (Miss Emma Keeney's. ) 

3 slices toast," 3 eg-gs — boil the eg-g-s hard, chop the 
whites and cream them with 2 tablespoons butter, 1 
teaspoon flour and 4 tablespoons water. Lav the 
toast on a hot platter, place the creamed whites on 
top and sift over them the 3'olks after pressing- them 
throug-h a potato masher. The creamed whites must 
not run. They can be seasoned with cayenne to taste. 



Spiced Beef.— (To Serve Cold.) 
[Mrs. Breeton's Household Management.] 

14 lbs. of thick flank or rump of beef, ^ lb. coarse 
sug-ar, 1 oz. saltpeter, % lb. ground allspice, 1 lb. 
common salt. Rub the sug-ar well into the beef and 



14 RECIPES. 

let it lay for twelve hours in a larg-e crock or marble- 
ized kettle, then rub it with the saltpeter and allspice 
and let it remain for another twelve hours, then rub 
in the salt. Turn it daily in the liquor thus formed 
for a fortnig-ht, then soak it a few hours in water, 
dry with a cloth and roast in a covered roaster, with a 
little water in the bottom, for four hours. Turn once 
or twice during- roasting*. 

This is a favorite English method. 



Cream Chick. en.— (Mrs. E. I. Waldby's.) 
1 chicken, 1 can mushrooms, 4 sweet breads, 1 quart 
cream, 2 large tablespoons butter, 2>^ tablespoons 
flour. Put cream in double boiler and heat, rub flour 
and butter tog-ether and stir it into the hot cream, add 
a little onion juice and a sprinkling- of nutmeg-. Pre- 
pare chicken and sweet breads in half-inch cubes as 
for salad, add all to the hot cream, season hig-hly with 
black pepper and salt and a pinch of red pepper; pour 
all into a baking- dish, cover with bread crumbs and 
little bits of butter and bake slowly^ half an hour. 
Brown the top slig-htly. 

Cream Macaroni ^witli Clieese.— (Miss Colling's.) 

[From "Popular Dishes."] 

Break }( lb. of macaroni into pieces about one inch 
long, drop into two quarts of boiling salted water and 
boil about twenty minutes. While it is boiling grate 
% ]b. of cheese. Also make a cream sauce. Place 
half a pint of milk in a double boiler, rub together 
one rounding tablespoonful each of butter and flour, 
add to the milk when boiling and stir about two 
minutes. Add ^ a teaspoonful of salt and a speck of 
cayenne. When the macaroni is tender, drain it, and 



RECIPES. 15 

add it to the cream sauce, stir until mixed, add the 
grated cheese and stir until dissolved. 

Everybod}^ likes this method of preparing- macaroni 
and cheese. — Author. 



Cliicag^o Cheese Balls. 

Whites 3 eggs beaten stiff, Xy'z cups grated cheese, 
salt and cayenne to taste, make into balls size of a 
walnut, dip in <^^^ and then in fine cracker crumbs, 
fry quickly in hot fat and serve immediately while hot. 

These are fine served with lettuce salad made with 
French dressing. 

Salad Dressing:.— (Mrs. D. C. Clark's.) 

The well beaten yolks of 5 eggs, 2 even teaspoons 
ground mustard, 2 even teaspoons salt, 1 even tea- 
spoon sygar, 5 tablespoons vinegar, Yz cup melted 
butter, sprinkling of red pepper. Mix yolks and 
vinegar thoroughly, now mix solids by running 
them through a sieve two or three times, now mix 
solids and liquids thoroughly and strain through a 
sieve; mash th(^ lutnps in the bottom of the strainer 
and pour all through again. Repeat until all goes 
through the strainer easil3\ Now cook it in double 
boiler, stirring all the time until stiff, but not too stiff. 
Remove from the stove and while it is hot add the 
half tea cup melted butter, pouring it in slowl}^ in a 
fine thread-like stream, and stirring the dressing hard 
all the time. If made with all this care it will be 
smooth and fine, but if there are any lumps in it, run 
it or press it through a strainer while hot. Before 
using mix it with equal parts of sweet cream, (thick 
cream if possible.) If this salad dressing is put into 
glass cans while hot, and about a quarter inch of 
vinegar poured over it when cold, it will keep a year 



16 RECIPES. 

or more. Screw the top of the can on tight. It can 
be made while eg-g-s and butter are cheap. Every 
time you make a white cake use the yolks for salad 
dressing. 

Corn Sal^d,— (Mrs. Miller's.) 
Boil the corn and cut from the cob by cutting" each 
row of corn down the middle with a sharp knife and 
then scraping- each row. This is the only way to cut 
corn, as it leaves the outside skin on the cob and g-ives 
the best for eating-. When cold have equal parts of 
celery cut in half inch cubes, and corn. Mix just be- 
fore serving- either with French dressing-, mayonnaise 
or boiled dressing, as preferred, and serve on lettuce 
leaves. Canned corn may be used for this in winter. 
Other veg-etables or apples can be used in place of corn 
if desired. If apples are used choose tart, firm grained 
ones; as soon as they are pared and cut into half-inch 
cubes throw them into cold water, then lay them out 
on cloths to dry before mixing-, put more cloths on 
top and press g-ently down to g-et the water from them. 
Mix this salad just before using-. This is the famous 
Waldorf salad that appeared in ''Table Talk" Janu- 
ary, 1895. Mayonnaise was orig-inally used for it, 
but boiled dressing can be used if preferred. 



Corn Omelette.— (Mrs. E. I. Waldby's.) 

18 ears corn, 1 pint sweet milk, 2)^ tablespoons 
flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 slight tea- 
spoon black pepper, 6 eggs, 2 tablespoons butter. 
Grate the end of the kernels and scrape with the back 
of the knife; add sugar, salt, pepper and flour; now 
whip the yolks and add, then the milk, and beaten 
whites; put in well greased dish, cover with bits of 
butter and bake three-quarters of an hour. 



RECIPES. 17 

Oermaii Cream Pie. 

By permission of Miss Colling-, I copy her recipe for 
German Cream Pie from "Popular Dishes." This pie 
has none of the lard pie crust and in consequence 
recommends itself to the most delicate stomach. Since 
using- this pie crust in my family "no other need 
apply," and I use it for tart pies also, making- it on a 
jelly tin with a removable bottom: 

TWO PIES. 

1>^ cups flour, Yz cup butter, 2 tablespoons g-ranu- 
lated sugar, 2 eg-gs. 

CREAM FUELING. 

1 pint cream or milk, yolks 6 eg-g-s, 6 tablespoons 
g-ranulated sugar, 2 rounding- tablespoons flour, 1 tea- 
spoon vanilla. 

MERINGUE. 

Whites 6 egg's, 6 tablespoons granulated sug-ar, a 
few drops vanilla. 

Sift the flour, add to it the sugar and butter; cut 
the butter well into the flour, then with the hands 
rub until all lumps are removed. Now add the egg-s 
beaten just enough to mix thoroughly, stir and work 
to a smooth paste. Divide into halves, form into balls 
and flatten out (one at a time) on the board. Now, 
roll gently and carefully, keeping just as round as 
possible, until, when you place the tin in which it is 
to be baked (which should be a layer cake tin) in the 
centre, there will be a border about one-half inch all 
around. Now, with a knife carefully cut away this 
border; place the centre in the tin, pressing it out to 
the edge if it shrinks while transfering it to the pan; 
moisten around the edge with a pastry brush dipped 



18 RECIPKS. 

into eg-g- (a teaspoonful may be reserved for the pur- 
pose) and then lay the paste which has been trimmed 
off, around the edge for a border. This gives it the 
appearance of a very large tart with a very small 
border. Bake in a moderate oven until a good brown, 
watching carefully, and prick with a fork if they rise 
in the centre. While they are baking, put the milk 
into a double boiler, beat the yolks until light, add 
the sugar then the flour, and stir into the boiling milk; 
stir until thick, remove from the fire, add the vanilla 
and when the crusts are baked turn them out of the 
pan and place upon the reversed bottom in order to 
have a perfectly flat surface. Now, put in as much 
of the filling as the crusts will hold. Make the 
meringue by beating the whites very stiff and adding 
the sugar b}' degrees, just cutting it in, not beating 
it any after sugar is added; add the vanilla and put 
on top of the pies, making a border first and filling in 
the centre after the border is complete. Place in a 
warm oven until a delicate brown. This must be 
served on the tin on which it is finished or very care- 
fully removed to a glass cake stand, as the surface 
must be perfectly level. 



Lremon Raisin Pie,— (Mrs. Trowbridge's.) 

1 cup raisins, stoned and chopped, 1 lemon, 1 cup 
cold water, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 table- 
spoons butter, 2 eggs. Save the white of one egg for 
the top. Put water and strained lemon juice and half 
the grated peel in marble dish and boil, add sugar, 
flour wet with a little cold water, butter and raisins 
and whip the two yolks and one white very hard and 
add and whip again. Add to top the white beaten to 
froth with a little sugar. Bake in under crust. 



RKCIPKS. 19 

Cottas:e Cheese-Cake Pie.— (Mrs. Hambleton's.) 
4 cakes or 1>4 cups cottag-e cheese, 4 eg-g-s, jolks and 
whites beaten tog-ether, ^ pint milk, Y-z tea cup melted 
butter, juice of 1 lemon and the g-rated rind of 2, >^ 
cup sug-ar, nutmeg- to taste, sprinkle cinnamon on top. 
Mix all ingredients and put in lemons just before 
baking-. This will make two pies. Bake in under 
crust with no upper. 

Potato Pie.— (Mrs. F. W. Clay's.) 

1 cup sug-ar, 1^ cups cold water, juice of a fine, 
larg-e lemon and half the g-rated outside peel, 1 raw 
potato the size of a larg-e lemon. Have ready all the 
ing-redients, measured, grate the potato over an 
earthen dish, g-rate the lemon on the same g-rater and 
rinse all off the g-rater with the cup and half water, 
add sug-ar and juice of lemon. Bake with upper and 
under crust. The potato should be put in water after 
it is pared to preserve its whiteness. 



Adrian Mince meat. 

3>^ lbs. raw chopped lean beef, 1>^ lbs. raw chopped 
suet, 10 lbs. unpared apples, cored and chopped, 3 lbs. 
seedless raisins, 2 lbs. currants, 2 orang-es, chopped, 

2 lemons, chopped, ^ cup boiled cider, 1 cup molasses, 

3 lbs. dark brown sug-ar, 1 gallon sweet cider, 2 table- 
spoons salt, spices to taste. Boil two hours slowly 
and can. Fruit juice and fruit can be added if desired. 



Puddingf.— (Mrs. Geo. Morey's.) 

\y2 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons flour, 3 table- 
spoons sugar, 6 ^gg^ and 1 pint sweet milk. Boil 
flour and sugar in the milk, add butter, let cool. Beat 



20 RKCIPES. 



eg-g-s separately and add. Set all in a pan of hot 
water and bake half an hour. Serve with whipped 
cream, or if preferred, a lemon sauce. 



Ivemoii Sauce. 

1 cup sug-ar, 2 cups hot water, juice 1 lemon, 1 
heaping- tablespoon flour, a piece of butter size of 
walnut. Wet the flour with a little cold water. Boil 
sugar and water together, add flour and butter, 
whipping all the time. Remove from stove and add 
lemon juice. A very little of the outside peel can be 
grated in if desired. 

Crumb Pudding.— (Mrs. Rial Clay's.) 

I pint bread crumbs rolled fine and browned in the 
oven, 1 cup sweet milk, 2 eg-g-s, 1 cup molasses, 1 cup 
raisins (stoned), a little g-ing-er and cinnamon, 1 level 
teaspoonful soda. Steam two hours. The water 
must always be boiling when anything- is put to 
steam, the cover of the steamer must be tight and 
never removed until the article is entirely done. Re- 
moving the cover du7'ing cooking makes evei'ything 
heavy. 

SERVE WITH FOAMY SAUCE NO. 2. 
[Boston Cook Book.] 

y^ cup butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoonful 
vanilla, 2 tablespoons fruit juice, ^ cup boiling water, 
white of 1 ^%^ beaten to a foam. 



Orang^e Pudding.— (Mrs. Johnson's.) 

Pare and slice crosswise, thin, 6 oranges; have a 
cup of sifted white sugar and- ^ of a cup grated 
cocoanut; put these in a dish in alternate layers, hav- 



RECIPES. 21 

ing- oratig-es at the bottom and cocoanut at the top of 
the dish. Beat the 6 ^^olks thoroug-hlj, add Yi cup 
sugar, small }4 cup cornstarch, 1 quart sweet milk 
scalding- hot in double boiler, let it stiffen and pour it 
over the orang-es, etc. Now beat the 6 whites to a 
froth, add lig-htlj 1 cup sug-ar and spread over the top 
and slig-htly brown in oven. Serve ice cold. 



.Sno^w Pudding.— (Mrs. Purdy's.) 

1 pint boiling" water, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, whites 
3 eg^g-s, Yi cup sugar, pinch salt. Moisten the corn- 
starch, sugar and salt with a little cold water, stir 
them into the boiling water and as soon as clear add 
the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, stir in 
thoroughly but quickly. 

SAUCE. 

1 pint milk, yolks 3 eggs, J^ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon 
corn starch. Boil to a thin custard and when cool 
flavor with vanilla. Serve very cold. 



Suet Puddingf.— (Mrs. W. E. Jewett's.) 

1 cup sour milk, 1 cup molasses, 1 cup raisins 
(stoned), 1 tablespoon cinnamon, Y^ tablespoon cloves, 

1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 cups flour, 1 cup 
filled lightly with chopped suet. Steam two hours. 

DRESSING. 

Y2 cup butter and 1 cup brown sugar rubbed to a 
cream, add 1 tablespoon flour and 1 teaspoon vanilla, 

2 tablespoons vinegar and Y2 ^ nutmeg. Pour 1 pint 
boiling hot water over and simmer one or two hours. 
This brings out a delicious flavor. Pour in more 
water as needed to keep the original quantity. 



22 KKCIPES. 

Forest itill Pudding-. 

1^ tea cups flour, Yz teaspoon baking- powder, >4 
tea cup pulverized sug-ar; sift all tog-ether live times; 
wet with 2 eg-g-s well beaten, and stir it full of apples 
cut in small cubes. Steam two hours. Serve with 
whip cream or butter and sug-ar creamed and flavored. 
Any other fruit not too juicy will do. 



Almond Pudding.— (Mrs. Frances B. Stockbridge's.) 
[From "Crumbs of Comfort."] 

1 quart milk, when boiling- stir in 5 tablespoons of 
cornstarch wet with a little cold milk, V^ cup blanched 
almonds chopped fine, 1 cup sugar, salt, and the yolks 
of 5 eg-gs. When it stiffens pour into a pudding- dish 
and cover with the whites of the eg-gs frothed, and 
flavored with almond. Bake a lig-ht brown and serve 
cold with whipped cream. 



Hnglisli Plum Pudding.— (Mrs. Simpson's.) 

1 pint bread crumbs, 2 lbs. raisins (stoned), 2 lbs. 
currants, Yi lb. chopped suet, }^ lb. brown sug-ar, ^ 
lb. citron, 1 cup molasses, ^ pint brandy (fruit juice 
if preferred), 6 eggs, ^ pint sweet milk, 1 pint flour, 
2 teaspoons soda, a little more flour to dredge the 
fruit, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon to taste. Tie loosely 
in a cloth and boil six hours. 

Sauce. — See Foamy Sauce No. 2. 



I^emon Meringue.— (Mrs. Channer's.) 

6 eggs, 4 lemons, 1 cup sugar. Whip the 6 yolks 
thoroughl}' and place them with the sugar and lemon 
juice and grated outside peel in a double boiler and 



RECIPES. 23 

thicken not too stiff. Remove from the fire, and when 
partly cold add the whites of 4 of the eg-g-s beaten to 
a froth. Line a dish with lady fingers, put in the 
mixture, beat the 2 remaining- whites and spread over 
the top, place in the oven and slightly brown. Serve 
ice cold. 



Prune l^liip.— (Miss Black's.) 

%. lb. prunes stewed soft and pressed through a 
strainer, 4 table spoons fine sug-ar, the whites of 4 
eg-gs well beaten. Bake twenty minutes in a slow 
oven. Serve cold with whipped cream. Chopped 
nuts may be added if desired. 



Soft Gingerbread.— (Mrs. R. A. Bury's.) 

1 cup molasses, 1 teaspoonful soda, 1 egg-, lig-htly 
beaten, 2 tablespoonfuls lard, 1 small half teaspoon 
salt, Yz teaspoonful ginger, ^ teaspoonful cinnamon, 
yi cup water, 1% squall cups sifted flour. Bake in 
moderate oven. 



Potato Fried Cakes.— (Mrs. Cutter's.) 

1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk, 3 potatoes, boiled and 
maahed, 2 eggs, shortening the size of a small ^%^g^ 2 
teaspoons baking powder; season to taste with cinna- 
mon or any spices desired. Mould soft with flour. 



Cookies.— .(Mrs. Gilllland's.) 

Ij^ cups sugar, 1 cup butter, 2 eggs, 1 even tea- 
spoon soda. Flavor with nutmeg. Mix to a smooth 
dough. Roll and cut small. Lay them in the tin 
with space between. If plainer cookies are wanted 
for children, add ^ cup sour milk. 



24 RECIPES. 

Fruit Cook-ies.— (Miss Octa Shattuck's.) 

^ cup butter and 1 cup sug*ar rubbed to a cream, 
whip the yolks of 2 eg-g-s and add, put 1 even teaspoon 
soda into ^3 of a cup of rich sour cream and add. 
Now, sift 1 even teaspoon baking- powder into 1>^ 
cups flour, dredge 1 cup seeded raisins chopped a little 
and Yz cup citron sliced fine, with more flour. Now, 
add to the above the whites of the 2 eg-g^s beaten to a 
froth, the 1>^ cups flour and the dredg-ed fruit. Mix 
soft, lifting- to baking- tin with a broad knife. Sift 
sug-ar over the top and bake in a quick oven. Roll 
thicker than ordinary cookies. Nuts may be used in- 
stead of citron if desired. 



Jumbles.— ( Mrs. Trowbrid ge's. ) 

2 cups white sugar, 1 cup butter, 4 eg-g's beaten 
separately, 1 teaspoon soda, 2 teaspoons cream tartar. 



Curled Snaps.— (Mrs. Channer's.) 

1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup molasses, 1 
cup flour, Yz teaspoon soda. Mix thoroughly. Grease 
a tin, and lay in with spaces between small Yz table- 
spoonfuls and bake in a slow oven. When done curl 
over a rolling pin and let cool. If the first seem too 
thin add a little more flour. Flavor as preferred. 



Bread Cake.— (Mrs. Cutter's.) 

3 cups bread sponge, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup butter, 4 
eg'g's,^ Vz teaspoon soda, 1 cup of fruit, spices to taste. 
Let rise and bake. 



RECIPES. 25 

Maple Sug:ar Cak.e.— (Mrs. Marble's.) 

Yi cup butter creamed with 1 cup sug-ar (granulated), 
3 egg-s, leaving- out one white for the top and filling-, 
y^ cup water, 2 teaspoons baking- powder sifted into 2 
scant cups flour. Bake in three layers. 

FILLING. 

A heaping- cup of maple sug-ar boiled in 3 table- 
spoons water until it hairs, then whip it hot into the 
thoroug-hly beaten white of egg, pouring it in in a 
thread-like stream until it is thickened. When the 
cake is cold spread this between the layers and on top. 



Ifly Motlier^s Ivemon Cake. 

1 tea cup butter, 3 of powdered sugar, rub them to 
a cream, stir into them the yolks of 5 eg-gs well beaten, 
dissolve a teaspoon soda in about a tablespoon hot 
water and add to it a cup sweet milk, then add this to 
the cake, add the juice and grated outside peel of 1 
lemon and the well beaten whites of the 5 eggs and 
sift in as lightly as possible 4 tea cups flour. Bake in 
two long tins about half an hour. 



Chocolate Cake. 

3 ounces chocolate, 4 eggs, ^ cup milk, 1 teaspoon- 
ful vanilla, >^ cup butter, 1>^ cups sugar, 1 heaping 
teaspoon baking powder, 1^ cups flour. Beat butter 
to a cream, add sugar gradually, beating all the while, 
add yolks, beat again, add the milk; melt the choco- 
late in double boiler and add it, then the flour, beat 
thoroughl}^ again, beat the whites stiff and add care- 
fully, add vanilla, baking powder and bake in a moder- 
ate oven in two layers. Frost with white frosting. 



26 RECIPES. 

Pound Cake.— (Mrs. Ketchum's.) 

9 eg-g-s, leaving- out the yolks of 2, lyi cups butter, 
2>^ cups sug-ar, 4 cups flour, ^ cup wine or g-rape 
juice, % teaspoon soda and 1 teaspoonful cream tartar. 
Flavor with nutmeg" and extract lemon. Bake one 
hour. Cream the butter and sug-ar and sift cream 
tarter and soda into flour. 



Sour Milk Cake.— (Mrs. Fred Clark's.) 

1 cup butter, 1>^ cups sug-ar, % cup sour milk, 3 
cups flour, 3 egg-s, 1 level teaspoon soda, 1 cup chopped 
raisins (stoned), 1 teaspoon cinnamon, piece citron 
size of an eg-g- (sliced fine), 1 teaspoon g-round cinna- 
mon, ^ teaspoon each allspice and nutmeg". 



Spanisli Buns.— (Mrs. M. E. Chittenden's.) 

1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 4 eggs, 1 cup sour milk, 
1 even teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon each of cloves and 
cinnamon and allspice, 3 cups of flour and more if 
needed to make a middling stiff batter. Bake in a flat 
loaf and cut in squares. 



Roll Jelly Cake.— (Mrs. W. E. .Jewett's.) 

4 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon cream 
tartar, y^ teaspoon soda, a pinch of salt. Bake in two 
long tins, spread jelly on and roll. Cream tartar and 
soda should always be sifted into the flour unless 
otherwise stated. If turned from the tins on to a cloth 
they will roll without sticking to the surface. 



RECIPES. 27 

Coffee Cake.— (Mrs. Wightman's.) 

2 cups brown sug-ar, 1 cup butter, 1 cup strong- 
coffee, 1 cup molasses, 4 cups flour, 4 eg-^s, 1 tea- 
spoonful soda, 1 teaspoonful g-rated nutmeg-, 2 tea- 
spoonfuls cinnamon, 2 teaspoonfuls cloves, 1 lb. rais- 
ins (seeded), 1 lb. currants. 



Fruit Cake.— (Mrs. Simpson's.) 

4 lbs. flour, 3 lbs. butter, 3 lbs. raisins (stoned), 4 
lbs. currants, 24 eg-g-s, Yz pint brandy (fruit juice if 
preferred), % lb. citron (sliced), 1 oz. mace, 2 nut- 
meg-s, cloves and cinnamon to taste. Steam three 
hours. Then put in oven one hour, or until a nice 
brown. 



Everyday Fruit Cake. 

2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup shortening-, mostly butter, 
1 teaspoonful mixed g-round spices, 2 cups sour milk, 
or buttermilk, 2 teaspoons soda, 2 cups raisins 
(stoned), 4 cups flour. 



Concerning^ Jellies. 

These must always be made while the fruit is 
slig-htly g-reen, as over-ripe fruit juice positivel}' re- 
fuses to jelly. Currants for jelly must be washed and 
well drained and dried on cloths but not necessarily 
stemmed; mash them and squeeze throug-h a strong- 
cheese cloth. Use a pint of sug-ar for every pint of 
juice. Place the sug-ar in the oven to heat. Boil the 
^uice fifteen or twenty minutes, removing- the scum all 
the while. Add the hot sug-ar, let come to a boil, 
skim, and pour into tumblers. 

I have heard of canning- the hot currant juice and 



28 RECIPES. 

making- the jelly in the winter as needed. It is said 
that this method insures the brig-ht red color and also 
the fresh taste belong^ing* to the currant season. I 
cannot speak of this method from experience, but it 
seems well worth trying-. 



Oreeti Orapes 

Make a beautiful amber jelly; pick just before ripen- 
ing". 

Cranberry Jelly. 

Sort and wash the berries. Place in marble kettle 
and put on cold water until covered. Cook until all 
are opened, assisting- them by mashing- the g-reenest 
ag-ainst the side of the kettle with a wooden spoon. 
Pour all into a tarlton bag and hang- over nig-ht to 
drain over an earthen dish. Next morning- add a pint 
of sug-ar'to a pint of the juice and boil. Remove scum 
and try on a saucer until it jellies; not much boiling- 
will be necessary. The berries left in the bag- can be 
pressed throug-h a sieve to remove skins, boiled with 
sugar to taste and used for a sauce for the table; use 
plent}' of sug-ar. When jelly is cold do not cover with 
paper but pour over a thin coating- of parafine. Always 
melt the parafine, however, in a water bath or double 
boiler, else it might take fire. Use early cranberries 
for jelly. 

Pulled Oates.— (Mrs. Gilliland's.) 

Wash them thoroughly in several waters, cover with 
water and soak about an hour, then pour off the water 
and remove tbe stones and put a blanched almond in 
each date, then cover with cold water and cook slowly 
twenty-five minutes. Now, lift the dates carefully 



RECIPES. 29 

from the liquor, heap them in a pyramid or put in a 
mould. Boil the liquor down to a thick syrup, pour 
it over the dates and stand aside to cool. Serv^e with 
whipped cream poured around the dates; i pound dates 
and X pound shelled almonds will serve five people. 



Custards.— (Barbara's. ) 

4 eg-g-s, yl cup sug-ar, a pinch of salt, 4 cups milk. 
This will make five cups of custard. Whip the eg-g-s 
and sug-ar and salt thoroug-hiy and add the milk and 
whip ag-ain, pour into custard cups and place them in 
a pan of hot water and bake in a moderate oven. 
Watch must be kept lest they bake a little too long- 
and g-row watery. These can be kept in the ice tank 
for half a week or more. Nothing- can be better or 
handier for dessert on washing- or ironing- day. They 
can be turned upside down into a saucer, a teaspoon 
of the custard dipped from the centre and a teaspoon 
of jelly put into its place, and a tablespoon of whipped 
cream above this and served with wafers or cake. 
Some bake them in pretty custard cups or in tumblers 
and serve in the same. 



Ice Cream.— (Mrs. Sara Jones'.) 

1 pint of milk, 1 pint of cream, 1 cup sug-ar, 1 table- 
spoon flour, a pinch of salt. Stir flour and sug-ar 
tog-ether and wet with a little cold milk. Put the re- 
mainder of the milk in a double boiler and when hot 
add the wet flour and sug-ar, stirring- all the while, 
and leave it to cook twenty minutes or longer. When 
cold add cream and flavoring-, and freeze. Use about 
two inches pounded ice to a half inch barrel salt for 
freezing-. 



30 RKCIPKS. 

Rasberry Cream.— (Mrs. E. T. Smith's.) 

1 quart fresh berries, 1>^ cups sugar, 1 pint water. 
Boil all tog*etlier twenty minutes, and when cool place 
in freezer and nearly freeze, then open the freezer and 
add 1 pint of cream and thoroug^hly freeze all. When 
frozen, take out the dasher and cork the freezer, cover 
with a piece of heavy double carpet and let ripen. 
Other fruits can be used. 

Lreiiioii Ice. — (Barbara's) 

1 quart water, juice of 3 lemons, 1 cup sug-ar, whites 
3 eg-g-s beaten to a froth. Put the eg-g-s in just before 
freezing-. 

Ivenion Ice.— (Mrs. Cotting-ton's.) 

1 quart milk and the juice of 3 orang-es and 3 lemons, 
1 cup sug-ar. Mix sug-ar and milk and partly freeze, 
then open freezer and strain in the lemon and orang-e 
juice and freeze all. 

Raisin, Currant and Orang^e Jam. 

5 pints currant juice, 5 lbs. sug-ar, 3 lbs. raisins 
(seeded and stoned), juice 8 oranges; chop the peel 
and put in cold water and bring- to a boil, pour this 
water off. Now, mix all the ing-redients except the 
sug-ar and boil three-quarters of an hour, add the sug-ar 
and cook until the thickness of jam. Place in tumblers 
and when cold cover with a thin coating- of parafine. 



Cliipped Pears witli Ginger.— (Mrs. E. T. Smith's.) 
Select pears that are fair but hard, pare them and 
chip into small pieces. To a peck of pears use 8 lbs. 
of sugar, 8 lemons and a jar of preserved ginger. 
Cook all together slowly for three or four hours. They 
are very tender and rich. Used for luncheon. 



RECIPES. 31 

Freiicli Pick-les,— (Mrs. Johnson's.) 
1 peck green tomatoes (sliced), and layered altor- 
natel}' with G larg-e onions (sliced), 1 cup salt sprinkled 
over the layers and left to stand over night. Drain 
well in the morning-. Boil in 2 quarts water and 1 
quart vineg-ar fifteen or twenty minutes. Drain ag-ain 
thoroug^hly and pour over 2 quarts vineg-ar, 2 lbs. 
brown sug"ar, % lb. white mustard seed, 3 tablespoons 
cinnamon, 1 tablespoon cloves. Cook soft but not 
mushy, and can. 

Old-FasHioned CofTee. 

Alwa3'S use a marbleized coffee pot. If g"ood strong- 
coffee is wanted, take a heaping- tablespoon coffee for 
each cup. Whip an eg-g-, add a tablespoon water to 
it. In making- coffee for four people use a third or 
half of this mixture; stir it into the coffee until all is 
dampened. For every tablespoon coffee pour over a 
cup of boiling- water and a half cup extra for steaming- 
away. Fill the nose of the coffee pot with a clean rag-, 
keep the cover tig-ht and watch it closely until it is 
ready to boil; then shake the coffee pot and set over 
so low a fire that it cannot possibly boil. In ten or 
fifteen minutes it will be read}" to use. It can stand 
at an even heat this way and hQ g-ood for hours, but 
if it boils hard or grows cold and is reheated, it is 
ruined. 



Odds and Biids and a Few Dont^s. 

Don't refuse to cook eg-g-s for members of your family 
when they want them because they are expensive and 
then spend twice as much for meat they do not want. 

If strawberries are high priced, and you want a 
short cake, leave out your meat; have soup and vege- 
tables and then serve your short cake and cream. 



32 RECIPES. 

A hearty dessert should not ordinarily be served 
after two or three heavy courses. Fruits or water ices 
are preferable in summer and some lig-ht dessert in 
winter. 

Put boiled beets whole, into equal parts of vineg-ar 
and water. This prevents them from becoming- too 
sour; add a little sug-ar and salt. Beets may be 
canned in this liquor for winter use. Choose small 
ones, put them up boiling- hot. Use half a tea cup 
sug-ar to a full pint each of vineg"ar and water, also a 
tablespoon salt. 

When buying- muskmelons choose those with dark 
g-reen streaks running- leng-thwise in the valleys be- 
tween the sections, for sweetness. Little Gems pre- 
ferred. 

Bake cakes in a covered earthen dish, or they may 
be put in a roaster and baked with fine results. 

Pudding-s should be set in a shallow dish of hot 
water while baking-. 

Keep cold meats in a tig-ht covered eartken dish for 
moisture. 

Never butter your pie plates, but dredg-e them lig-htly 
with flour. 

To stone raisins easily, put them in warm water a 
few minutes. 

Use wooden spoons and marbelized or earthen ware 
for cooking-. 

Clean all brown spots from earthen ware with lemon 
juice or vineg-ar. 

Fill your tea kettle with vineg-ar and let stand a day 
or two if you wish to remove the lime. 

Have one broom for your walks, another for the 
kitchen and a better one still for carpets. 



RECIPKS. 33 

If you can g-et some broom corn that has been freed 
from seeds but has not been trimmed, you can sew six 
or eig-ht of the stalks into a little round hand broom 
that will be so long- it will reach under cupboards and 
book cases and bring- dirt out of corners as nothing- 
else will. This broom corn can be procured at any 
broom factory. Some tie ribbons around the handle 
stalks eind make them very pretty with a bow and ring 
to hang- them by. 

Use chloroform for paint on delicate fabrics, but be 
careful to have plenty of air to breathe while using- it. 

E^or a g-rease spot on silk rub on and in, very thick, 
a cake of mag-nesia and hang- the g-arment in the closet 
a week. The chances are that when you brush off the 
mag-nesia there will be no g-rease spot. 

For removing- g-rease from ordinary fabrics see 
preparation for washing- woolen blankets. 

Paint your porch chairs in the fall, so the paint will 
become thoroug-hly hardened throug-h the winter; this 
in the interest of the backs and shoulders of dresses 
and coats during- the following- summer; it is well also 
to have linen carriag-e robes or towels over them for 
very dainty dresses. Carriag-e paint is preferable for 
porch chairs. 






34 SERVING. 



a: serving, a: 

Luncheon may be served either with or without a 
table cloth. In either case small, round asbestos heat 
protectors should be used under the lining- to the table 
cloth or under the doylies, for all hot dishes. If a 
table cloth is used, an embroidered centre piece is not 
necessar}^ unless desired. An oval or round bevel 
edged mirror may be used, g-iving- the advantag^e of 
reflected fruit or flowers. A handsome vase of flowers, 
one variety, or any pretty blossoming- plant may be 
placed in the centre of the table; when the latter is 
used, set the pot into a silver jardiniere or bouquet 
holder; or, crimped tissue paper may be ruflied top 
and bottom b}^ pulling out the crimp on the edges 
with the fingers, and placed gracefully around the pot 
either with ribbon and bow or without. 

A few flowers like the centre ones, or delicate green 
sprays may be placed here and there on the table cloth. 
Fruit makes a handsome centre piece in which medium 
sized red apples ma}^ be placed with good effect. As 
a general rule, one color should prevail in a luncheon; 
if red is chosen the shades to all lights should be red 
and sheer. The flowers may be American beauties or 
carnations, or any simpler ones, arranged in small 
corsage bouquets and grouped around the centre piece 
of flowers; to each of these ma}^ be pinned a handsome 
red ribbon, about an inch and half in width, extending 
toward the place of each guest and terminating at the 
edge of the table in a bow between the guests. These 
may be drawn as souvenirs when the guests retire 
from the table. Souvenir cards, simple or elaborately 



SERVING. 



35 



hand painted, may be used to designate the place of 
each g-uest at the table, they should be placed on the 
napkin. If the luncheon is to be served without a 
table cloth, an individual doylie shoufd be placed for 
each guest, also smaller doylies about the centre piece 
for almonds, olives, etc. The following- general menu 
will answer to illustrate the method of servinir: 



Fish 
Meat 

Salad 

Ice Ci-eam 
Coffee 



Soup 
Bread 



With Sauce 



One or two Vegetables 

Mushroom Patties 

Cheese Balls 

Cake 

Olives 



Wafers 



Almonds 
Preserved Ginger. 

This menu can be varied as the hostess desires. 
More courses may be added or some left out. Roman 
punch or sherbet could be substituted for the patties, 
and oysters or clams for the soup. 

In preparing- the table, place a plate for each person, 
at the rig-ht a knife for the meat, a small fork for the 
fish, and a soup spoon; on the left place a larger fork 
for the meat. It will be observed that no silver is 
spread upon the table except sufficient for the first 
three courses, this prevents the table from looking too 
much like a jeweler's show window. A glass for the 
water should be placed at the end of the knife a little 
to the right. Knives, forks and spoons should be laid 
at rig-ht ang-les to the edge of the table and at an even 
distance from it of about an inch. Those to be used 
first, place at the outside, g-rading inward toward the 
plate. Lay spoons with bowls up, forks with tines 
up and backs of knives, from the plates; lay the folded 



36 SERVING. 



napkin at the left of the plate. Place salt and pepper 
at each end of the table diagonally, on doylies, or 
individual salt dips may be used. The carafes or 
water pitchers may be placed at each end of the table, 
or the water may be served from the side. Place 
gracefully around the centre piece on small doylies, 
the fancy dishes containing almonds, olives, etc., and 
lay the spoon for each on the side of the doylie. Just 
before the guests are seated the glasses should be 
filled two-thirds with cold water, and as necessary 
during the meal a glass dish of pounded ice with spoon 
in, may be passed to preserve the coldness of the 
water. 

Dishes for hot food should be placed in the warming 
oven, and dishes for cold food should be kept in the 
refrigerator for hours before needed. Luncheon may 
be served from the side entirely, or, by the hostess at 
the table. The former method will be observed with 
the above menu. After the guests are seated, the 
waitress will place a plate of soup in front of each 
guest from the right. All dishes which the waitress is 
to set down in front of the gnests are set down from 
the rights all dishes to he passed are offered at the left^ 
thus enabling a guest to use the right hand. All plates 
to he 7'enioved are taken from the left. Much confusion 
will be avoided if these simple rules are observed. 
When the soup course is finished remove the plates 
from the left, one at a time or one in each hand. 
Always remove the silver on the plate where it has 
been used. There is no authority for gathering up 
all the silver first as is sometimes done to the detri- 
ment of handsome wardrobes and well dressed heads. 

FISH COURSE. 

Place a plate with fish from the right in front of 
each person; begin at the right of the hostess and 



SERVING. 37 



serve all on that side (beg-inning- presumably with the 
g-uest of honor), then begin at the left of the hostess 
and serve all on that side. The hostess is often served 
first, probably that she may set the pace for the g"uests 
to follow. Place a spoon in the vegetable dish and 
pass it on a small server at the left of each guest. 
When filling glasses, draw them to the edg"e of the 
table, fill two-thirds full and return to place. Offer 
bread or rolls with their respective courses when 
necessary. Serve the mushroom patty course in the 
same manner as the previous courses, except that now 
you commence to bring in the silver with the course. 

Remove plates as before and set salad plate with 
hot cheese ball in front of each person, with a fork at 
the right. If the salad is of lettuce, endive, or any- 
thing requiring- a knife, place a kite at the right and 
the fork at the left, being careful to lay them down 
softly and straight. Offer wafers and olives. 

Remove salad plates, also bread and butter plates 
and their knives, also all salt and pepper on a small 
server; remove crumbs with scraper and tra}' from a 
table cloth, with a napkin from a polished table. 
Place finger bowls half -filled with water on doylies 
which have been placed on plates; if they are brought 
on with the dessert, place a spoon at the right and a 
fork at the left of each bowl; the guest will remove 
the bowl and doylie to one side, and the plate is 
used for the dessert. Some finger bowls have saucers, 
in which case the doylie should be placed between 
the bowl and saucer, and all three removed to one 
side. The fing-er bowls may be brought in after the 
dessert if preferred. After dessert pass the ginger. 
Set the coffee down at the rig-ht of each guest; be 
sure it is hot and strong. As it is to aid digestion, it 
is better to use no cream or sugar, nevertheless it is 
safe to pass both. 



38 SERVING. 

Oiiiiier 

Is served with a table cloth. Flowers or fruit ma}' be 
used for a centre piece. For a Thanksg-ivitig- dinner 
a prett}' fruit basket for the centre of the table may 
be made of a small sized, good shaped pumpkin; cut 
off about one-third of the top or enough to leave a 
well shaped dish, remove seeds and line with a plate 
or saucer; now stick tooth picks perpendicularly 
around the top cut-edge and hang from them clusters 
of grapes or fruit of any kind, heap the top with fruit 
of various kinds, and twine smilax in and out if you 
wish. The arrangement of the table for dinner is 
similar to that for luncheon. Candelabra are often 
used and are pretty. Place them on each side of the 
centre, lengthwise of the table. Lay a serving cloth 
at each end of the table for host and hostess. A piece 
of bread an inch thick may be laid on the folded nap- 
kin and the napkin doubled once more over the bread. 
Arrange on the side table everything that is to be 
used for serving the separate courses, spoons, ladles, 
forks, etc., and have them in order so there will be no 
delay when they are needed. Have finger bowls all 
arranged for use. Nothing- makes a dinner move 
along more smoothly in the serving than a little study 
of system beforehand. 

Just before the guests are seated half fill the glasses, 
light the candles, place the soup turreen in front of 
the hostess' place, an extra plate at the left and 
slightly in front of the turreen, and the soup plates 
to the number of three or four in a corresponding posi- 
tion on the right. After the guests are seated, the 
waitress should stand at the left of the hostess and 
remove the turreen cover to the sideboard, being care- 
ful to turn it upside down to prevent dripping, and 
bring the ladle and place it in the turreen. Then she 
should place a soup plate on the plate in front of the 



SERVING. 



hostess, and when a ladle full is served she should 
lift the plate and soup plate with the right hand, 
carry them to the guest at the right of the hostess, 
remove with the left hand the plate in front of the 
guest and deposit the plate and soup plate in front of 
the guest, all from the right. Meantime the hostess 
will have arranged another soup plate and plate; the 
waitress should place the plate returned in front of 
the hostess and repeat the same to the next guest, fol- 
lowing the same order as for luncheon. 

Clear soup is served for dinner. In a dinner the 
meat course should be served by the host; all others 
by the hostess. 

Remove plates with silver as in luncheon, then re- 
move the meat. Place the salad in front of the hostess 
and serve in same manner. Clean and crum the table 
with scraper and tray. Serve ice cream course the 
same as in luncheon. 

After dessert place finger bowls in front of each 
person. Coffee is served at table or in the drawing 
room. Cream and sugar should not be served with 
after dinner coffee. One can use finger bowls in the 
same manner as at luncheon if desired. If oysters 
are to be served for dinner, six may be arranged on 
each plate with a section of lemon in the centre, or 
they may be placed each on a half shell and imbedded 
in ice on a deep plate. These may be placed on the 
table the last thing before the guests are seated. 
Clams may be served on the half shell the same way. 
Serve horseradish with clams. 

Where after dinner coffee is not used, the coffee 
should be served with the meat course. In such case 
offer cream and sugar. In replenishing a cup of 
coffee bring the hot coffee in a coffee pot to the hostess 
and refill the cup at table, as when the cup is once 
removed, no guest is quite sure that he receives the 



40 WASHING AND IRONING. 

same cup in return. Coffee with the meat course is 
preferable for family dinners and reunions as there 
are generally elderly persons present who have been 
accustomed to it, and it is not in g-ood taste to spring- 
formal methods where the sentiment of ^' laissez 
fairc^^ naturally holds sway. 

All styles must be used appropriately and with a 
grain of common sense. 



a; washing and ironing. :x 

First, sort the clothes. Scald table linen with boil- 
ing water to remove stains. Good soap and soft water 
are necessary. Make a warm suds. Some add a 
tablespoon of spirits of ammonia to each pail of suds, 
but one of the best washers I ever knew used only the 
plain suds. Soak the clothes about half an hour and 
rub them through the suds, replenishing 4t often by 
drawing off the old and pouring in new. This is ab- 
solutely necessary, as clothes must not be rubbed in 
dirty water. Rub table linen first, then pillow cases, 
sheets, handkerchiefs, shirts, etc. After rubbing, 
place the clothes to steam in warm suds. Clothes 
must never boil. Steam them with the cover on the 
boiler a half hour or an hour if you like, but shove 
them back on the stove where they cannot possibly boil. 
Remove them from boiler, drain, rinse through two 
waters and then put through a blueing water. 

Boil your starch until it is clear and starch your 
clothes before hanging out to dry. Sprinkle and fold 



WASHING AND IKONING. 41 



the clothes over nig-ht, rollin«r them tig-ht to equalize 
the dampness. The collars, cuffs and shirt bosoms 
must be put throug-h-a cold, raw starch before ironing. 

Iron the body of a shirt first, then slip the bosom 
board under and with a clean damp cloth rub the 
bosom hard to remove any pieces of cold starch, then 
if still too wet rub it with a dry cloth very hard and 
iron with a clean, hot iron while it is ver}- damp. Iron 
it until it is dry. Now remove the bosom board, 
smooth out the remaining- wrinkles in the body and 
slip the bosom board under again and polish with a 
polishing- iron. Pure " elbow g-rease " will do it. An 
overworked housekeeper can fold sheets and children's 
nig-htdresses and snap and fold towels and han<r them 
on the bars, and when thoroug-hl}^ dried lay them 
away until used, thus husbanding- her time and 
streng-th for the shirts, children's aprons, napkins, 
etc. I have known mothers with larg-e families to 
use white marbleized table oil cloth, pinked at the 
edg-es, instead of table cloths. It is far preferable to 
soiled table linen, as it has the advantagfe of bcinjr 
perfectly clean for every meal. Napkins and bibs, 
however, are a necessity to teach the children cleanli- 
ness. A woman who does all her own work is per- 
fectly justified in saving- her labor by any method that 
does not imperil the comfort and neatness of the 
family; but for one who has help, nothing- is more 
worth looking- at than pearl-white table cloths and a 
bar full of clean, smoothly ironed clothes. 

Some excellent washers put the blueing- in the boiler 
instead of in the last rinsing- water. 



For ^Wasliiiig: l^ooleii Blankets. 

Take 4 laundry cakes of Ivory soap (chipped), 1 lb. 
of borax and boil all in 1^ g-allons soft water until 



42 DISH WASHING. 



thoroughly dissolved; add 1>^ more gallons warm 
water and stand away in a covered stone crock; when 
washing- blankets use enoug-h oi this preparation to 
make a strong- suds and let them soak in it for half an 
hour or more. Rub throug-h this suds (use no soap), 
and if they are very much soiled put them through 
another suds in the same way, then rinse until the 
water is clear. Blankets washed this wa}^ are as g-ood 
and soft as new, with no shrinkag-e. Have 3^our rins- 
ing- water just a little warm. 

Keep a small bottle of this preparation handy for 
removing- soiled spots from dresses, vests, coats, etc. 
Put a cloth over your fing-er, dip it in the fluid and 
rub it on the g-rease spot, then rub dry with a dry cloth. 



:^ DISH WASHING. /€ 

Have plenty of soap and soft water. Scrape the 
dishes as clean as possible and sort them; have a dish 
pan of middling- hot suds in front of you, to the rig-ht 
of this have a dish pan of clear, hot water, to the rig"ht 
of this a pan to drain dishes in. Wash the g-lassware 
first and silver next. Wash every piece in the suds, 
dip it into the hot water to rinse and place to drain, 
then another piece, and so on. I do not think much 
of the plan that fills a dish pan full of washed dishes 
all bottom side up and then pours over them hot water 
from the tea kettle. I like the right side of my dishes 
rinsed. 

One must have a clean dish cloth and clean dish 



BED MAKING. 43 



towels, of course. I once knew a womem who required 
one dish cloth for the g-hiss and silverware, another 
for China, and still another for cooking- utensils. If 
she found the dishwasher using- the wrong- dish cloth 
for the wrong- article there was war in the kitchen 
immediately. This would be distracting. If my 
dishes come on to the table smooth to the touch and 
g^lossy to the eye, and if when I g-o to the kitchen after 
the work is done, I find clean washed out dish towels 
and dish cloth, and all smelling sweetly, I am satisfied. 
Soda should always be used for milk dishes and 
cream pitchers, never soap. 



;^ BED MAKING. J?4: 

The best bed maker I ever knew was a colored g"irl. 
She said she learned at the South. No mud pies were 
ever more level on top or had more evenly slightly 
slanting sides. Fortunately the days of feather beds 
are g-one. Every mattress should have a cover (not 
too thick) to tuck under all around; this can be 
washed as often as one wishes. The under sheet 
should be long- and wide enough to tuck under all 
around to insure its not wrinkling. The remainder 
of the covering-s should not be tucked in but spread on 
loosely and evenly. In these days of iron and brass 
enameled bedsteads that admit of a spread reaching- 
to, or near the floor, it is an eas}^ matter to put the 
clothes on in this wa}^ and it is much more healthful, 
as the air g-ains admittance all the day. Brush both 



44 BED MAKING. 



sides of the mattress once a week and turn it over. 
Of course, beds should be thoroug-hly aired in the 
morning for hours. French bolsters are pretty for 
day time. They can be made of wire such as plants run 
on. Get that which is just the width of your bedstead. 
Roll it the size you want your bolster and cover with 
a piece of blanket or comfort, drawing- over the ends 
and sewing them; now cover with material like your 
spread, gathering each end to the centre and sew to 
the middle of each end a pretty ribbon bow or rosette. 
This can stand on end or be laid across a chair at 
night. If your spread is Marsailles, use some soft, 
fine white material for your bolster, but when the 
spread is of colored material use the same for your 
bolster. Always at night, at home or abroad, remove 
or cause to be removed the outside spread, folding it 
in the original creases, also the shams or outside pil- 
low cases in the same way. A bed thus cared for can 
look well a long time. If you have pretty linen pillow 
cases trimmed with lace you can slip them on over the 
pillow cases that are used at night and remove them 
at bed-time. These are preferable to shams, as they 
look more genuine. One cannot expect a bed to look 
well during the day without extra coverings for bed 
and pillows that can be laid aside at night. 




HARDWOOD FLOOKS, SWEEPING AND DUSTING. 45 



HARDWOOD FLOORS, SWEEPING 
AND DUSTING. 

Never touch a broom to a hardwood floor unless it 
is completely covered with a cloth that will not slip 
off. Broom covers can be made of canton Hannel, the 
nap side out. Cut them a little larg-er than the brush 
of the broom and leave them open a few inches each 
side at the top so the opening- will be wide enoug-h to 
admit the broom, sew on tape string's at the top and 
tie around the base of the broom handle. Covered 
this way a broom can be used also for the wall. 

There are many methods of treating- hardwood floors, 
a safe and reasonable one is to treat them as you would 
treat a piece of furniture, especially parquetry floors. 
Dust them every day or every other day, according as 
they are used, with a soft cheese cloth. About once 
in two or three months wash them in clear tepid water 
and wipe them dry, always using- soft cloths. After- 
ward rub them over with a cloth soaked with g-asoline 
(there must be no fire or lig^hted lamp in the room) 
then rub with another cloth thoroug-hly saturated with 
sperm oil; wipe dry with a clean cloth and polish with 
a piece of chamois or soft cloth. 

There is no better way to clean and polish furniture 
when you clean house than this. 

Never put boiled oil on a floor. If you wish to oil 
an ordinary hardwood floor, wash it clean and wipe it 
dry, then use equal parts raw linseed oil and turpen- 
tine, rubbing- it on with a soft cloth. This I learned 
of a manufacturer of hardwood floors. 



46 LAMPS, KKKOSENK, GASOLINE AND GAS. 



For sweeping- carpets, first remove all furniture pos- 
sible, then sprinkle with small bits of damp news- 
paper, open doors or windows on opposite sides of the 
room and sweep in the direction of the current of air 
passing- throug-h. If there is an open fireplace in the 
room, burn a few dry newspapers in it to insure a cur- 
rent of air up the chimne}^ then open a door or window 
as nearly opposite the fireplace as possible and sweep 
toward the latter. 

Wait a full half hour after sweeping-, then dust with 
a yard square cheese cloth and shake the duster out 
of doors every few minutes to keep it clean. 



>«'\/.y»'\/.>*'\/>^»'\/. 



LAMPS, KEROSENE, GASOLINE 
AND GAS. 



/N^/.-'My^ 



Scissors should never be used on a lamp wick unless, 
possibly, a new one. After the first burning- the 
charred top should be rubbed off with an old rag- 
placed smoothly over the fing-er, then the side of the 
burner should be scraped with a knife. If there is an 
opening leading- to the oil chamber, keep it un- 
obstructed with a wire. Kerosene lamps should be 
filled every day to within a half inch of the top, for 
the lower the oil the more dang-erous the lamp. The 
oil in the lamp does not explode, but the g-as inside 
the lamp explodes when it reaches a certain deg-ree of 
heat. It follows that if there were no space above the 



LAMPS, KEROSENE, GASOLINE AND GAS. 47 

oil for the g"as to form in, there would be no explosion. 
Kerosene is dang-erous when one lig-hts a lire with it 
for the same reason. The moment it is poured over 
the fire it commences to form in combination with the 
atmosphere a combustible g"as. This g-as is invisible 
to the eye and its presence is not counted on. At the 
first strike of the match, however, the person is en- 
veloped in flames. Better not use it^ but if you are 
determined to be foolhardy and to run the risk of self- 
destruction, do not use over a quarter of a tea cup 
full and do not allow one second to pass before lig-ht- 
ing- it after it is poured over the kindling*. 

I have no war to make on g-asoline stoves, but I 
•never feel comfortable so long- as I know that my dear 
friend has one in her house. However I might risk 
myself with one, I never wish to trust another. Gaso- 
line forms a combustible g-as much more instan- 
taneously than kerosene when exposed to the atmos- 
phere, consequently it should never be used near a fire 
or a lighted lamp. I have heard of g-asoline explosions 
with no fire around. Friction produces heat, and a 
certain deg-rce of heat is all that is necessary to cause 
an explosion. 

The only absolutely safe and comfortable thing- for 
cooking- in summer is gas. It saves the disposition, 
makes comfortable the cook, thus enabling- one to give 
all the attention to having everything turned to a 
nicety. There is no kindling of fires, nor any wait- 
ing for the fire to die down in a hot day. There is no 
danger of burning the food, for the fire can be made 
in an instant as low or as high as the necessity re- 
quires. It is perfectly clean, furnishing no dust or 
ashes and no coal black on .the hands or face. In fact 
too much cannot be said in favor of it, and its greatest 
merit is its absolute safety. 



48 MOTHS AND CARPET BUGS. 



•X MOTHS AND CARPET BUGS. X 



^^^*^^^^ 



The plentiful use of Persian insect powder will 
annihilate them. I have heard ladies say "insect 
powder does no g-ood." / know fro7n experience thai 
it zuill kill them. 

Buy your insect powder of a drug-gist who keeps it 
in a glass can with a g-lass stopper; never buy where 
it is kept in a drawer, and when you bring- it home^ 
put it immediately into a tight can and fasten the top' 
down. A ten-cent bellows will do to use it with for 
flies and on ordinary occasions, but if the ants are in 
your cupboard, wash the shelves clean, wipe them dry, 
then scatter the powder with your hand plentifully on 
the shelves, filling every crack and crevice; lay clean 
papers over them and use as before. When you clean 
house serve all the closet shelves and drawers and all 
bureau drawers with the same treatment. 

Scatter insect powder around the edges of the room 
before the carpet is laid. If you are cleaning a room 
without removing the carpet, get down to the floor 
and with a long screw-driver in your left hand pry 
away from the base-board the carpet between the 
tacks and with a whisk broom in your right hand 
sweep out all the dirt that has accumulated under the 
edge of the carpet since last housecleaning, then fill 
in with fresh insect powder. Do this in the spring 
and again in the fall, and where good insect powder 
was put under the carpet before it was laid I would be 
willing to pay a premium for all carpet bugs. Serve 
your bedsteads with insect powder when you clean 



MOTHS AND CARPET BUGS. 49 



house and ag-aiti in July. Insect powder is a very 
clean dust and pays for itself over and over ag-ain by 
saving- carpets and v^oolen blankets and wardrobes, 
and above all your own peace of mind. It will not 
harm a child or any creature with lunges, only being 
fatal to insects with their peculiar mechanism for 
breathing- purposes. Therefore use it plentifully. 
Fill the cracks of the closet floors with it. A pound 
will g-o a great way, and when you see your beautiful 
blankets come out fresh and whole in the fall, you 
will feel abundantly repaid. 

There are many ways for keeping furs. The moth 
ball, tar paper and the patent paper bag- have their 
advocates. Furs should be packed the first of May or 
thereabout. I keep mine in black pepper. Lay your 
g-arment on the dining- room table or on the carpet, 
the fur side up, and use a larg*e pepper box; sprinkle 
the pepper into the fur freely, folding- loosely as you 
g-o. When all is peppered and folded, take a clean 2j/2 
bushel g-rain bag- (any other bag of the size will do), 
sprinkle plenty of pepper inside of it and put the 
loosely rolled g-artment into it lengthwise, neck side 
down; fasten the loop by which you hang- the g-arment 
to the bag- either wnth needle and thread or stout 
safety pin and tie the opening- of the bag-; now 
sprinkle another g-rain bag- with pepper inside and put 
the first bag- into the second bottom side up, sprinkle 
pepper in the top, tie with a stout string- and hang- in 
your clothesprcss. I have kept a fine, larg-e wolf robe 
in this way for twenty-five years and it has never lost 
a hair from moths. The pepper will shake out in the 
fall in five minutes, and you will never advertise 
to your friends by the smell of your garment how you 
keep your furs. 



50 SANITATION. 



Ti, SANITATION. :X 

Houses with first-class plumbing' and g'ood drainage 
are the healthiest, but even these need looking- after. 
Always see that clear water is put throug^h a drain 
after using- it, enoug-h to crowd the dirty water out of 
the traps so there will be no odor of dish water or 
an3^thing' disag-reeable. A few drops of ammonia 
once a week will sweeten drains and closets, and for 
vessels in sleeping" rooms nothing- equals a few drops 
of ammonia every morning-. If a hard brown sedi- 
ment g-athers in the bottom of your wash pitcher that 
will not scour off, sOak it in vineg-ar. It stands to 
reason that if an alkili will not remove it an acid will. 
If you are g-oing- to leave your house closed a few 
weeks or more, have someone come in at least once a 
week and turn the faucets a few minutes and draw the 
closets, otherwise the water in the traps is liable to 
evaporate, or dry away from long* standing, and let 
the sewer gas into the house. 

But many houses do not have plumbing, nor even 
drainage. Where slops are thrown on to the ground, 
a new place to throw them should be found often and 
sand or ashes scattered over the old spot. 

Mr. Geo. E. Waring, Jr., says: *'No form of cess- 
pool, no leaching vault and no cemented tank should 
be allowed under any circumstances, neither should 
there be permitted any form of the old-fashioned out- 
of-door privy with a vault." 

These can be built on the ground, however, without 
a vault, and earth or coal ashes can be used in them 



SANITATION. 51 



the same as in earth closets. A box in the corner of 
the building- filled with sand or coal ashes and a hand 
shovel in it, is all that is necessary. The above 
author says further: 

"The earth or coal ashes not only absorbs foul 
smells but will actually destroy them by slow com- 
bustion. They are porous materials, sufficiently dry 
for the free admission of air or oxyg-en. The foulest 
substances when covered with these at once lose their 
odor, and are in time as effectively destroyed by com- 
bustion (oxydized) as thoug-h they had been burned 
in a furnace. The process is more slow, but none the 
less sure." 

This material when oxydized and removed at the 
rear of the out-house is as wholesome as the g-arden 
earth. 

Let us have the benefits of scientific knowledge 
dealt out to the multitude by our leaders in the form 
of law, if necessary. A new era would come for the 
health of a city if this were the case. One could ride 
in every part of a town in Aug"ust and September 
without having" one's olfactories offended with foul 
smells from out-houses. It would seem that human 
being-s should have the wisdom of the cat that always 
turns to cover the refuse of the body with mother 
earth. It would also seem that Boards of Health, 
composed as they are of educated men, would consider 
the very first step necessary for a city's health, the 
doing- away with the old-fashioned privy vault and 
the compelling- by law the use of earth or coal ashes 
in all out-of-door closets. 

It has been said, ''A word to the wise is sufficient," 



52 SOCIAL DUTIES. 



^ SOCIAL DUTIES. :X 



/^.V^vy^ 



Every housekeeper, however humble, owes some 
duties to society. Perhaps some one will say, "I have 
no society but my neig^hbors." Then you owe it to 
them to be a g^ood neighbor. Extend tor them your 
interest for their welfare, your sympathy and help in 
sickness, your kindly smile and cheerful word. 

These are days of holding- receptions. The hig^hest 
dig"nitaries in the land hold theirs, the humblest citi- 
zen may hold hers. 

Inviting friends to your reception is merely sending 
them word that yoii will be at home on a certain day 
and that you would like to have them call on you. It 
is your privilege to choose a day to receive your 
friends, and it is a compliment to you for your friends 
to call on that day, in other words, to accept your in- 
vitation. No acceptance of an invitation to a recep- 
tion need be sent. If you go to a reception, leave 
your card, if you cannot go, send your card sometime 
during the specified hours for which you were invited, 
not before if it can be avoided. If you leave or send 
a card, no call will be necessary later. Having met 
the hostess on entering the reception, it will not be 
necessary to return to say good-bye. This avoids con- 
fusion and saves those who have just entered from 
waiting to meet the hostess. 

Receptions are convenient and can be made exceed- 
ingly pleasant. If one has a calling acquaintance of 
three or four hundred or more, there is no other way 
to compass the matter of meeting one's friends and 



SOCIAL DUTIES. 53 



acquaintances. Some ladies never make g-eneral 
formal calls, onlj- accepting- and extending- reception 
invitations, as a larg-e list of individual calling- 
acquaintances makes them too much slaves to visiting-. 

An invitation to a luncheon, however, a dinner or a 
party of an}- description, should be answered either 
with a note of acceptance or of reg-ret in less than 
twenty-four hours after it is received, and a call should 
be made on the hostess in a week or two after the 
party. 

The word "acceptance" or "reg-rets" should never 
appear on a visiting- card in answer to an invitation. 
Note paper should be used and the note written in ac- 
cordance with, and after the style of the invitation. 

On leaving a party, always bid adieu to the hostess 
(and host if there are g-entlemen) before retiring- to 
the dressing room, and afterward leave as quietl}- as 
possible. 

Alwa3^s meet your friends half way and accept an 
invitation in the same kindly spirit in which it is 
given, and when it is returned do not attempt to guage 
your entertainment by that of your friend, neither in 
splendor nor in ceremony; let your hospitality, 3'our 
good will, your good taste, combined with your inter- 
est in promoting the pleasure of each individual guest, 
speak for 3"our entertainment, regardless of line furni- 
ture or cut glass. 

Never receive a favor or a present on any occasion 
without acknowledging it with thanks at the earliest 
opportunity, personally if possible, if not, by note. 
Nothing is more stupid than to be ungrateful, and 
gratitude unexpressed — buried in the heart — is like a 
diamond unmined, of no earthly use. 

The habit of some, to return the compliment of a 
present immediately with another present, is to be 
deprecated. It embarrasses the first donor and de- 



^4 I'IRKD MOTHERS. 



stroys the pleasure with which the present was g-iven. 
The bestowing- of a g^ift should arise from spontaneous 
consideration^ one for another. I once said to a 
gentleman who had very kindly fixed up a set wheel 
to my carriage, which overtook me one morning while 
riding in the country with another woman, "You are 
a true knight, 3'ou help the ladies out of their troubles; 
I will do something for you if it is ever possible." 
He looked up smiling, and with a wave of his hand 
said, "Do it for somebody else, do it for some- 
body else." 

This represents the ideal spirit in which favors and 
presents should be given, out of very kindliness and 
never with the thought of indebtedness, or return; 
then would an endless chain of kindly thoughts and 
words and deeds link all humanity, heart to heart 
and friend to friend. 



A^\/,A\f.^*\fJ^^ 



TIRED MOTHERS. ^ 

A housekeeper who keeps a domestic will find the 
routine suggested in this book for housekeeping com- 
paratively easy, but I think I hear one who does her 
own work, at my elbow saying, "How can I follow 
such a program with my children to see to, my meals 
to prepare and my dishes to wash every day?" 

"My dear," I reply, "that is just what you can do, 
you can follow it; you may not keep up with it but 
this is your route to follow if you aspire to keep your 
house well." But let me whisper in your ear. Neglect 



TIRED MOTHERS. 55 



the sweeping- some Thursday if you can not do it all 
in the morning-, taking onl}- such rooms as demand 
immediate attention, and in the afternoon take the 
children with their baskets and happy faces on the 
street cars, or perhaps your own conveyance, to some 
piece of woods; take along- a hammock; if there is a 
pebbly brook where the little ones can take off their 
shoes and stockings and wade and chase the minnows 
so much the better. And how all will enjoy helping- 
to spread the supper on a clean cloth on the grass. 
Everybody loves a picnic, and children best of all. 
Perhaps grandmother will put the supper on for your 
husband at home, or better still, perhaps they can 
both join you. If you cannot get so far away, have 
one under the trees in the orchard or some friendly 
shade in your garden. It will rest you; the little 
change will do 3'ou good. I remember when to drop 
all work, snatch up the baby, and ride around a few 
squares for twenty minutes, or a mile into the country 
and back, would send all worries skulking out of sight 
never to dare to show themselves again. Your own 
good judgment will tell you what best can be left un- 
done for a short season with the least inconvenience 
to your family. But is there not help right around 
you? It is as necessary for a housekeeper to marshal 
the forces at her command to the best advantage, as 
to be able to execute in detail, and it is surprising how 
every one around the house can help a little. Grand- 
mothers and children can save the mother's tired steps 
in the way of light work, and are usually glad to do 
so. Boys can wash dishes and do it well, if necessary, 
and make nonethe less manly men in consequence. I 
know a little girl of eleven years who takes upon her- 
self Saturday forenoons to air every bed in the house, 
do all the chamber work, brush up the sitting room, 
do the dusting, making her -mamma who is engaged 



56 ^IRKD MOTHiBRS. 



meanwhile with the Saturday's baking-, feel that a 
fairy is going- throug-li the house, leaving- fresh, clean 
footprints in every corner and behind every mantle 
ornament. 

Cheerfulness is absolutely necessary to a house- 
keeper. If she wears a sour face the whole household 
will partake of the acidity. Someone will say, "How 
is a woman to keep cheerful with an endless round of 
duties to attend to? " I answer, she cannot attend to 
any duty acceptably if she allows herself to be worked 
out of g-ood temper into a fret. An aunt once said to 
me by way of advice, "My dear, when you marry, 
always smile sweetly when your husband opens the 
door, no matter how the work has gone, no matter if 
things are out of place, if you look up with a happy 
face he will never discover a sing-le defect." 

Therefore I repeat, douH fret. If you do you will 
drive away every home friend that you have, and 
what others will you care for after that? I know that 
you value and love your husband and children more 
than any other friends on earth, then why not show 
the very best side of your nature to them; why show 
them the worst side and keep the best for strangers? 
It would seem as thoug-h a g-enuine mother's love were 
such a holy thing- so near akin to joys of Paradise that 
we poor mortals must veil it over with frowns and 
fretful words lest the lig-ht of Heaven should come too 
near and blind our earthly vision. Do not allow your- 
self to be deceived. Keep the very best of yourself for 
your best beloved, and then, contrary to all human 
reasoning-, those within the influence of your family 
circle will partake of the reflection of your home love, 
and feel, unconsciously perhaps, that an ang-el visitor 
is passing- near. 

This is a serious matter. I believe that fretful im- 
patience is the besetting- foe of many and many an 



TIKKD MOTHERS. 57 



otherwise superior housewife and mother. And so I 
repeat in letters of fire if I could, DON'T FRET. 

You cannot afford to have your children say, ''I do 

like Miss so much, she does not fret like 

mamma." You cannot aiford to have your husband 

think, ''How sunny Mrs. is, I wish my wife 

did not worry so." I know this may be puttings the 
matter on a very low g-round, but as yet we are all 
human. I know there are "two sides to this ques- 
tion," a husband -may be cross and the children may 
be nerve distracting-, but in any event make it the 
business of the day to hold on to yourself. There is 
no other remedy. Never lose your temper for one mo- 
ment; school yourself to be gentle, lady-like, and let 
it be g-entleness of the heart; take a g-enuine interest 
in everything- pertaining- to each member of your 
household and forget yourself, and above all forget 
your little petty cares. While 3^our husband is away 
on business and the children are at school, and 3'ou are 
busy, busy all the day, be sure to keep good company. 
Your thoughts will be your company then. You can 
have Longfellow or Phoebe Care}' or your favorite au- 
thor or some Bible gem to help you think. You can 
gather in a lot of beautiful things and store them in 
the mind that will be of value to you all your life. 

Don't allow yourself, while traveling the pathway 
of life, to descend into the gutter to pick up the rub- 
bish there, like hatred to anyone, evil thoughts, your 
own treatment bj^ somebody; the moment you stop to 
pity yourself you are lost to good. Rather turn to the 
bank on the other side of the pathwa}- and gather 
flowers and useful things, perhaps to give to your 
loved ones or some wayfarer that you may meet. Re- 
member that though every pathway must have its 
gutter, it is onlv for carrying off useless and harmful 
things; let them go, and welcome the flood-tide of 



58 run cHiLDRKN. 



time that carries them to oblivion; there are better 
thing's worth living- for, and be assured, O, tired 
mother, that a blessed harvest will come to you as 
sure as the day follows the nig-ht; a reward of rest 
and peace will crown your patient efforts. 



A^ THE CHILDREN. JSt 

Don't nag- them. Let them alone. Be careful not 
to contract the habit of saying- to them for every little 
act, "Don't do that," ''You must not do so," "Now, 
stop that," until their delicate, sensitive nerves are all 
"torn up" and you never realize that you have been 
dogging- their footsteps until some overt act is com- 
mitted from sheer nervousness or possibly from dis- 
couragement and its consequent recklessness. 

Althoug-h parents and g-uardians are older and 
stronger and probably wiser, this fact does not carry 
with it any bullying privileges, neither does this last 
remark imply that children are not to be taught good 
manners and are not at times subjects for discipline. 

Beware how you answer their requests with a hurried 
" Yes," or " No," for these two little words convey to 
the child-mind at times a world of pleasure or a world 
of woe. If you make them a promise, keep it even at 
your own inconvenience, and then be careful how you 
make the next promise. I have heard children say, 
"But mamma, you said you would, you promised," 
until I began to fear the moral results of a broken 
word from what should be so high an authority. 



THE CHILDREN. 59 



When correcting-, let it be for something- that is ab- 
solute 1}^ wrongs, and never before strang-ers. Never 

proclaim or allow it to be proclaimed that was 

punished to-day. Do as you would be done by if you 
were a defenseless little child. This matter of g-overn- 
ment is a matter between yourself and your children 
exclusively, unless somebody else has been wrong-ed, 
and even then you are the arbiter. Throw the children 
on their honor, believe in them, and when opportunity- 
oifers because of occurrences, set them thinking- about 
rig^ht and wrong" and help them to interpret both. 
Make your g-overning rules few and far between and 
be sure they are reasonable, and when once you have 
required a thing-, no matter how insignificant it may 
be, never g-ive up until you get it. This may be a 
slow and tedious process at times, but patience and 
firmness will succeed and the habit of obedience will 
be established in consequence. Meantime keep your 
temper. 

I once heard a mother say to her bo3% "I do not 

know that I shall let j^ou play with any more, 

he is so saucy to his mother, I am afraid you will 
learn to be saucy, too." "Why, mamma," he replied, 
"she is saucy to him, you oug-ht to hear how saucy 
she is, she is just as saucy as she can be;" which all 
meant, of course, that she made a child of herself, dis- 
puted with him, lost her temper, and with it her in- 
fluence and power for good. 

Woe to the innocents when the blind lead the blind. 

Coddle the little ones, sympathize with the older 
ones, g-aining their confidence. 

Never g-o on the "out of sig-ht, out of mind" plan, 
know where they are and what they are doing-. 

Furnish them with plenty of g-ood, interesting- and 
instructive child literature and with plenty of child 
g-ames and puzzles. 



60 THE CHII^DRKN. 



Put overalls (bless the one who invented them for 
children) on the little girls and bojs and let them go 
barefooted on hot mornings and give them a few- 
bushels of sand and a dish of water and let them make 
mud pies and fried cakes. Thanks to the times in 
which we live the prim, furbelowed little misses and 
kid gloved boys are passed and the overalls are stylish. 
This will help some particular mothers to become 
reconciled. 

Of course, the children should "slick up" at times, 
but they will soon understand that "there is a time 
for everything." Have them throw their arms back 
at night or morning in nightrobe, until the back of 
the hands hit behind them. Every other physical 
exercise they naturally get at play, but this broadens 
the chest and enlarges the lungs, thus insuring for 
life against untoward climatic conditions. Keep them 
in the shade, or better still, in the house during the 
hottest part of the day in summer, letting them out 
again at three or four o'clock. Many a boy has para- 
lyzed his intellect with severe exercise under a scorch- 
ing sun, thus ruining his whole life. So take care of 
the children's brains; take care of their morals also. 
The Jews were not so far astray when they obeyed the 
command of circumcision, and many Gentile and 
Christian parents are following their example to-day, 
and that too under the advice of some of the best and 
most prominent physicians. When one realizes the 
innocence, the utier helplessness, the complete igno- 
rance of little ones, coupled with the power of habit 
and the frailty of human nature, nothing can be more 
reasonable, more humane or more merciful. 

The old dispensation required the obedience of the 
act, the new dispensation goes further and requires 
obedience in motive also. In view of all this, why not 
make the former auxiliary to the latter and be gainers 



THE CHILDREN. 61 



thereby? Whatever one might wish to say of the Jews, 
however tenaceous they ma}^ be of "the pound of 
flesh," they are at any rate domestically, a moral 
people. Even in the infancy of the race, bad as some 
of their conduct seems to us when blazoned with the 
lig-ht of the nineteenth centurj^, still, their social 
morals even then surpassed those of all other races, 
and the general family morality of their men and 
women to-day is something- for Gentiles to emulate. 

Furnish the children with plenty of good company 
as they grow to be ^^oung men and women, company 
that you are willing they should marry in, for if they 
marry, it will surely be in the company they keep. 
Young folks zvill have compan3% see that they choose 
the best as to intellect, good habits and all qualities 
that command respect. This may take some of your 
money and quite a little trouble as you look at it, but 
what if it does, no care or means could be better ex- 
pended. There is an old proverb which reads, ''An 
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,'' and 
many a sorrowing parent has learned how useless it is 
to "lock the barn after the horse is stolen." 

It is unnecessary for a mother in these days of free 
schools to undertake to educate her children intel- 
lectually, and not at all a necessity, but there is a 
certain moral and Christian training that a mother 
cannot shirk, whatever her household duties are. If 
her time is exceedingly limited, fifteen minutes spent 
every night before retiring in sending their con- 
sciences back through the day, receiving their childish 
confidences, listening to their short evening prayer 
and teaching them to repeat some Scripture gem, will 
accomplish a great deal if persevered in. 

A child will sleep more sweetly, perhaps dream of 
angel visits, for repeating "I wall lay me down in 
peace and take my rest for it is Thou Lord only that 



62 THE CHII^DREN. 



makest me dwell in safety," or, "Casting- all your care 
upon Him for He careth for you." Such precious 
seeds sown in youth become indellibly fixed in the 
mind and heart to bring- forth rich results in the 
future — sometime, somewhere, perhaps on the battle- 
field, lying-, wounded, under the stars, God knows 
when and where, blessed memories of mother's g-ood- 
nig-ht kiss, ming-led with her precious words and the 
touch of her loving- hand, will lead some stricken 
mother's darling- boy throug-h old-time, pleasant, 
flowery paths, into the love and lig-ht of Heaven — and 
all for a few minutes' care every nig-ht. 

What mother, what g-uardian of children would dare 
to forcg-o so precious a harvest? 



^3^ M 



jtP 39 1898 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



II 

002 112 179 4 



A^. 



TIMES PRINT, ADRIAN, MICH. 



